Patents - Page 19

Kodak announced today that they have sold all their OLED related assets to a group of LG companies. Kodak will still have access to the technology to use in its own product. 

Kodak is doing this to strengthen their financial situation. They also recognize that in order to realize the full value of the OLED business, it needs a significant investment. 

This is a sad day for Kodak I think - they have invented OLEDs in 1970 and have been working on the technology for 40 years now (!). It'll be interesting to see what LG will do with Kodak's IP (which is mostly about Fluorescent OLEDs and manufacturing equipment). In any case, LG is showing that they are truly committed to OLEDs. 

UDC says that the European Patent Office has rejected an opposition to one of their core flexible OLED patents in Europe. The opposition was filed by Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) back in 2006.

eMagin issued financial results for its second quarter ending June 30, 2009. eMagin posted record sales and profits - they had 5.9M$ in sales, and 1.3M$ net income.

eMagin are seeing increased acknowledgment by customers of the advantages of their proprietary OLED microsidplay technology, and also lower royalties expenses - this is probably because OLED patents are starting to expire, and also they might have negotiated better deals with IP companies.

Solterra Renewable Technologies (wholly owned subsidiary of Hague Corp) today announced an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with the University of Arizona for the patented, intellectual property covering screen-printing techniques for OLED fabrication. Solterra's CEO Stephen Squires says that there are essential similarities between the screen-printing techniques to fabricate LEDs and the screen printing technology that Solterra is currently optimizing to print quantum dots to make thin-film solar cells.

Bayer MaterialScience AG, a unit of Bayer AG, signed a technology and patent license agreement with Add-Vision. Bayer will be able to manufacture and sell flexible Polymer based printable OLEDs. 

Bayer says that the technology is an important component for many applications in the coming years - such as active packaging and labels, gift cards, electronic toys and games, promotional products or point-of-sale signage.

Financial details have not been disclosed.

UDC announced today that it had renewed its Commercial Supply Agreement with LG Display. The previous agreement terminated on June 30 2008, and the new one is effective till June 30 2009.

Apple has filed a patent for an iPhone display that has two backlights. The idea is to have a second low-power backlight that will be always on. So you can easily check if you have messages, or other stuff without having to turn the main display on.

I think it's time Apple thought about using an OLED - in which no backlight is required, and if you just make a small screensaver with the time and messages status - it will draw very little power.

Merck KGaA today announced the completion of an agreement to acquire the entire intellectual property (IP) portfolio of the company OLED-T with immediate effect. As we reported last month, OLED-T has gone into liquidation. We don't have any information on the financial side of this agreement.

OLED-T had an IP portfolio in the field of electron transport and phosphorescent-emitting materials for OLED application.

We hear rumors that OLED-T has been closed - gone into liquidation - and indeed their web-site is down. This is sad news, and rather surprising one, as they secured 7M$ just two years ago. 

OLED-T was developing high efficiency and long life-time materials for OLED displays. OLED-T had over 60 patents, and I wonder which company will pick those up.

Konica Minolta and Universal Display Corporation today announced the signing of an OLED Technology License Agreement. Under the agreement, Konica Minolta will be able to integrate Universal Display's proprietary OLED technologies into Konica Minolta's white OLED lighting products, thus securing Konica Minolta to accelerate commercialization and to strengthen the competitiveness of its white OLEDs.

"We have been collaborating successfully with Universal Display in the OLED development for several years, and we are very much pleased that we have entered into the OLED Technology License Agreement with Universal Display today" stated Masatoshi Matsuzaki, Chief Technology Officer of Konica Minolta Holdings.